Scenes from Christmas

Happy December 26th! It must be hard being that day, such a touch act to follow. 

I hope you had a lovely Christmas! Ours certainly was. I have the pictures to prove it. 

We spent Christmas Eve evening with Grace Point Church. They did such a wonderful job of putting together a powerful & memorable service. We've spent Christmas Eve at this church quite a few times, and each year, it gets better and better! One of my favorite parts this year was the worship. Worship is always what gets me, and I loved the addition of a worship painter. The first time I saw worship art was at Influence Conference, and I was excited to have that again. 

The message was beautiful, inspiring, and packed with some serious truth. It was all about the confident hope that we find in Jesus, and it definitely blessed me. The service was ended with a candlelight portion, and this always gets me in the Christmas spirit. 

Our Christmas morning always starts suuuper early. I'm talking 6AM early. Mike & I outgrew that riiight about when Milissa was old enough to catch on to the excitement, so early rising remains a part of the tradition. 

This year, Santa thought Mil was extra good, and decided to bring her something that was a biiit too big to fit under the tree. 

All that jumping worked up quite the appetite, which was great considering we feasted on Thanksgiving part 2. 

 

Mom earned herself some serious bragging rights for this one. 

We may not have had ourselves a white Christmas, but I don't think any of us were too disappointed.  

Our traditions may be simple (getting up at the crack of dawn, staying in pajamas for 99% of the day, watching the sunset at the beach), but I love them.

For fun, you can check out this post from 2 years ago to see how much Christmas 2011 resembles Christmas 2013.

I hope you have yourself a fan-freaking-tastic December 26th. 

 

Happy Memorial Day!

Today, I am thankful for two different kinds of freedom. 

I am thankful for the freedom that we experience in our beautiful country. The freedom that I have come to realize isn't truly free. The kind that many have lost their lives to protect, and many others are currently far, far away from loved ones to do the same. The kind that some can only dream about, as they live in countries that experience bombings such as our Boston Marathon tragedy every single day. 

The older I get, the more I realize how incredibly blessed I am to live in this country, where freedom is a reality that I will probably always take for granted. 

Today, I am thankful for another kind of freedom, as well. I am thankful for the freedom that is found in my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am thankful that I am no longer a slave to my sinful ways, that I am no longer stuck in my pride, or my jealousy, or my constant need to validate myself. 

Today, I am thankful that my soul is free. And I know that no matter what I may face here on this earth, nothing can change that fact. Because nothing can change what my Lord and Savior did for me on that cross. 

So today, I appreciate the freedom that I am blessed to experience in so many different ways. 

And I also appreciate the incredible beauty that is all around me in this world. 

I hope you enjoy your Memorial Day today!